Barrister Mainul Hosein: A man of unshakable belief in democracy

Mokarram Hossain :

It is with a heavy heart today that we remember Barrister Mainul Hosein, a man whose presence loomed large not just for those of us who had the good fortune of knowing him, but for the entire nation.

He had an unshakable belief in the value of democracy and the rule of law, and held a very deep sense of patriotism as a Bangladeshi.

The second death anniversary of Barrister Mainul, a towering personality in the legal profession as well as in the media, is being observed countrywide today with due respect.

On this occasion, the nation will pay tributes to this great soul. He is treated to us as a hero for democracy, freedom of the press and an independent judiciary.

For this, he will be loved by the people for his powerful writings against the fifteen and a half years misrule and corruption of the autocrat Sheikh Hasina’s rule.

Barrister Mainul Hosein was needed very much at this moment because we are living in an unstable environment.

He was one of the people who could have shown us the direction and the way out of this instability. It is very sad that he could not see the downfall of the fascist Hasina’s government.

Unfortunately, eminent personality late Mainul Hossain, who was also the adviser of the Caretaker Government, had to serve three months in jail for speaking out at a TV talk show. After entering the prison he had to accept a bed on the floor.

The man, who lived forever in comfort, was the chairman of the Editorial Board of The New Nation. He was the beloved elder son of Tafazzal Hossain Manik Mia, a renowned journalist and Editor of the Daily Ittefaq.

I like to mention here that Mainul Hosein had turned The New Nation to a new height as a newspaper. It was his baby which he guided from being a weekly to a daily.

And within a few years, The New Nation rose to being an English language newspaper with huge readership both in print and online versions. The total credit goes to late Barrister Mainul.

Like him, his father Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia was also imprisoned and the Daily Ittefaq was declared illegal during the fag end of the Pakistani rule.

However, at one stage of the 1969 movement, the ban on the Daily Ittefaq was lifted and Tafazzal Hossain Manik Mia, the dreamer of liberation of Bangladesh, was released from prison.

Mentionable, Barrister Mainul Hosein had served as the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

He was also the most important member of the Press Commission established for the first time in Bangladesh. He played a major role in finalising the legal framework for press freedom namely the Press Commission Report.

He was also elected several times the President of Bangladesh Sangbadpatra Parishad and he left his mark in developing a healthy relationship between the journalists and the newspaper owners.

Today, I personally want to recall Mainul Hosein for his guidance as the chairman of the Editorial Board.

In truth, I have directly learned from him how to write editorials, and commentaries in particular, exposing the misdeeds and corruption of the fallen Sheikh Hasina’s 15 and a half years of dictatorial rule, massive corruptions of her party leaders and the high government officials.

People like him had to suffer so much to say a word. As he was not in the good book of the fallen Sheikh Hasina, he was forced to go to imprisonment.

After being released from prison, Mainul Hosein was diagnosed with incurable disease cancer and suffered a lot. He died of this incurable disease in a hospital in the city on December 9, 2023.

Fortunately for us, he has written some books including ‘Wanted Success of Democracy’ before his death. The weight and weight of his books is immense. Whatever he wrote in these books as a fearless fighter of democracy will be the path of our journey. Soldiers of democracy will find inspiration from these books.

Again, I like to mention that I have joined The New Nation on my retirement from the National News Agency BSS as the Managing Editor. Mentionable, the working pattern of the news agency and the newspapers are one way or another different. But I could adjust it with the direct guidance of the late Barrister Mainul Hosein.

Mainul Hosein won the Parliament election from his village constituency of Bhandaria-Kathalia (Barishal) in the beginning of 1973. When the government changed the basic character of the Constitution to introduce a one-party system (BKSAL) in January 1975 through the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, he was unable to accept the constitutional changes.

Together with late General M.A.G. Osmany, commander-in-chief of the Bangladesh Liberation forces during the 1971 war, Barrister Hosein exercised the option of resigning from Parliament.

His such bold decision was looked upon by many as an act of courage brought on by conviction. His belief in unfettered democracy was behind his move to quit the legislature.

Even in the final years of his life illness and disappointment with the state of affairs could not make him silent. He was not afraid to speak up for the ideas he believed in. For this, he will live long in the hearts of the people.

Many legal professionals view him as a principled lawyer who made significant contributions to Bangladesh’s legal system. Barrister Mainul was a strong advocate of the 15th amendment to the Constitution, which abolished the caretaker government system in 2011, based on the recommendations of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

He consistently opposed the autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina, particularly after the one-sided national election of 2014. He was also very critical of the much-propagated development of the Hasina administration. Mainul was a strong critic of the midnight election in 2018 and urged Hasina to resign and hold free, fair, and participatory elections for the greater good of the country and the welfare of its citizens.

So, it is today that I feel a deep sense of personal loss that Barrister Mainul is no longer among us. We miss him dearly. We pray to Almighty Allah that his departed soul may rest in eternal peace. We will always remember him as he was – a man who lived life to its fullest, and who was always surrounded by the love of family and friends.

(Mokarram Hossain is Editor of The New Nation)